I picked up an 03 800ss this past Sept. and in the process of converting it to track bike. The only other bikes I have to compare it to are my fzr400 (track bike), gsxr750 (streetbike) and a superhawk which I had a while ago. Needless to say its nothing like any of these. It must be the 2 valve that makes it so much fun but I find myself shifting a lot more often to keep it in the powerband which is good or bad depending how you look at it. It definatley won't have the top end straight line speed of an st4s. Handling wise I would say its almost as flickable as my fzr but much more stable and feels as planted in the corners as the gixxer but less intimidating to get on the gas. All in all I would say its a blast to ride in the twisties, light and grunty, never intimidating. That's why I'm racing it. I picked up mine for 6100 with 3k on it.